They Dream of the Stars
by The Valiant Child
Summary: AU: While chasing a cybermat in a department store, a newly regenerated Doctor stumbles upon Rose Tyler: the shop girl. But he can fix that, he thinks; all it takes it a promise of the whole of time and space. But before he can make the offer he gets caught in a trap there's no escape from. Now he has no TARDIS, no screwdriver and no memories. Only Rose Tyler.
1. Cat and Mouse

**A/N: This is completely AU. Here, Rose is 19 even though the fic is set in 2010 and she's working at Henrick's and living at the Powell Estates just as she was in the first episode of New Who. The Doctor has just regenerated when he meets Rose. I think I might add the other characters from season 5 onwards but I haven't decided yet. Anyway, I'll leave you to read the chapter now. Geronimo.**

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Chapter One: Cat and Mouse

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_London, 2010_

_Henrick's_

She didn't see him even though he'd been running around the shop waving his sonic screwdriver in the air for almost twenty minutes now. Everyone else had noticed. Rose, however was in a world of her own; a world where she was doing something better than settling for being a shop girl.

He ran through the aisles, his attention on a scurrying, lightning fast cybermat as it zipped here and there, neatly evading him. He didn't notice the blonde shop attendant who was staring vacantly at the wall until he smacked into her, sending them both tumbling to the floor—him on top of her.

"Er, Sorry, sorry," he said, hastily getting up and lending her a hand.

Rose noticed his dishevelled appearance immediately.

"You alright, mate?" she asked. He looked like he'd been through hell. His hair was a mess and his face was smudged with dirt. His clothes were also not in their best condition. His pinstriped trousers were torn, his partially tucked shirt and loose tie dirt ridden.

"Yeah...yes, yes I am," he answered almost absently. He jumped impatiently on his feet, and his head swerved around the room—scanning for the cybermat but she didn't know that. "Don't worry, this is all perfectly normal."

"Are you sure?" she persisted.

His head whipped back to her and she felt strange—not exactly uncomfortable though—at the intensity of his gaze. His eyes were a pretty shade of green, she marvelled almost absently. He, on the other hand was fascinated by the amount of concern in the voice of this stranger.

There was a lingering silence as he forgot for a moment that she'd asked him a question. She couldn't bring herself to break it, surprisingly but she didn't have to. The cybermat did it for her. His attention was immediately snapped to the swift movement of silver behind her and with a triumphant whoop, he lurched towards it. She was unsure whether to be amused or concerned when he fell down comically and didn't bother getting up but crawled frantically towards one of the clothes' rack. He pulled out a strange silver device and pointed it under the rack. At the press of a button, the tip glowed blue and made an odd sort of a buzz. Rose couldn't help but stare. A few others did too.

"Gotcha," he mumbled.

Rose cautiously stepped towards him just as he reached for something under the rack. She was just about to ask him what he was looking for when he screamed and pulled out his hand and along with it came a silver mechanical mouse type thing, its teeth firmly clenching his fingers. He tried to get it off unsuccessfully and more howls of pain followed. Rose immediately rushed forward even though she wasn't really sure what to do. She grabbed the mouse by the side of its mouth, trying to dislodge its jaws from the eccentric man's hand. With a mighty tug, he was free but just as soon, the mouse jumped for her. She screamed and wrapped her hands around it to keep it away. It was very powerful for such a small thing and the force of its momentum threw her to the ground.

Rose couldn't believe the strength of the thing. It took all she had to keep it away from biting into her face as it pushed forwards with a shocking force, its metal teeth gleaming in the artificial lights of the room. Rose vaguely heard someone step up to help but the crazy stranger told them to stand back and before she could get angry, she heard that odd buzz from the silver and blue device again. Seconds later, the mouse stopped moving. Rose threw it off her hastily and scrambled back, until her back hit the wall.

The crazy man cast a cautious eye at the mouse, and told the crowd that had gathered not to touch it before hurrying towards her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. It seemed that their conversations were going in a loop.

"Yeah," Rose answered and she really was. Maybe a bit shaken but that was it. He, on the other hand, was bleeding but he didn't seem to notice or care. But Rose did.

"You're hurt," she pointed out as he pulled that silver wand of his once more and waved it in her face, making it buzz again.

"Hmm?" he wasn't quite listening as he read the sonic. She really was fine. Only with an elevated heart rate, but that was quite alright.

"You're hurt," she repeated and he looked down at his injured hand.

"Oh," he said in a small voice.

"Come here." She took his other hand and led him away. He picked up the cybermat on the way but followed her without a fuss. He quite liked the feel of her hand in his, he noted absently.

"That was very brave," he commemorated as she gestured for him to sit behind an unmanned counter.

"What was that thing? The mechanical mouse?" Rose asked as she brought out a small first aid kit and pulled a swab of cotton and a bottle of antiseptic.

"Cybermat," he answered smiling up at her only to shriek shrilly when she tried to clean his wounds.

"Stop squirming," Rose said, tugging his injured arm towards her.

"It hurts!" he protested like a child.

"What's a cybermat?" she tried to divert his attention so he wouldn't concentrate on the pain.

"Cybermats are infiltrators. Very small, very aaahh! Are you trying to kill me?"

Rose tried not to smile. She was being as gentle but he was behaving like a nine year old.

"Very small, very?" she prompted.

"...deadly." He answered with a pout. "They collect power like bees collect pollen. This little guy," he waved the cybermat, "has been sucking the electrical energy from this area."

"Why here?" Rose asked. "I mean, there are better places to get power from. Why a shop? It could er, go to a nuclear station or something."

"Ooh, very good! I've been thinking that too." He frowned as he studied the cybermat. "It doesn't make sense."

He yelled again when she started to bandage his hand. "You _are _trying to kill me." He accused. "That's very rude. Especially when I just saved your life!"

Rose sighed. "So, how long have you been chasing this cybermat thing?" she said gesturing at the state of his clothes.

"Twelve minutes, thirty six seconds," he answered. "I was supposed to go to Felspoon but the TARDIS is a bit not well at the moment so I crashed on Earth instead and that's when I found the cybermat and got sidetracked"

Oh god, this guy really was crazy. Or suffering from severe head trauma. Rose wondered if she should take him to the hospital. He really looked like he needed a good check up.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way." He said. "Well, I _think _I'm the Doctor. Not exactly sure at the moment though. Still cooking a bit you see. Had a long day. What's your name?"

"Rose. Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you Rose," the Doctor grinned. "Do you happen to have any apples?"

"Apples?"

"I think I'm having a craving. Never had cravings before," he said gleefully. "Do you have any then?"

"Uh, not at the moment, no." Rose said.

His face fell. Rose was just about to suggest that they could go over to the market and get some if he really wanted apples that badly when the cyber mouse...mat, cybermat twitched it tail.

The Doctor dropped it in surprise and jumped up from his seat, pointing his silver tube thing at the cybermat. But when he pressed the on switch, it fizzed and the blue light flickered and the device started to smoke.

"Oh come on," the Doctor moaned. "Not now!"

The cybermat lurched and the Doctor and Rose ducked in opposite directions. The cybermat swerved around and zipped towards Rose who frantically tried to back away. Just when it'd almost cornered her, she felt a cool hand on hers and found the Doctor's warm green eyes and manic smile meet her as she looked up.

"Run!" he said and she did.

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**A/N: Okay, so what do you think? This happens to be my first Doctor Who fic so I'm not exactly sure if I got the characters right. I'd love some feedback so I know what I'm doing right and what's wrong so that I can fix it. Reviews will be ever so appreaciated. I'll update as soon as I can. See you next chapter.**


	2. Ancient, but not

**A/N: I finished this chapter much faster than I expected to. So here it is. A great big thanks to ****_FloraFaveXNara-Wire, summersrain,_**** the ****_'Guest_****' anon (who didn't leave a name so I'm calling you 'Guest' anon), ****_Meltel, MidnightForever17and ceese_**** for reviewing, subscribing and adding this story as one of your favouries. Enjoy the chapter!**

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Chapter Two: Ancient, but not

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They ran hand in hand as the cybermat rocketed behind. Rose hit the fire alarm as they dashed past it. They led the cybermat away from the other shoppers as they evacuated, dropping mannequins and racks of clothes to slow down their pursuer.

"I thought you'd killed it the first time." Rose huffed.

"No, I merely disabled it. It was evidently 'playing possum'. Must be shielded from metastatic energy. I used to have an app for that." The Doctor said ruefully holding up his burnt out screwdriver.

"Can't you use your tube thing on it again?" Rose asked.

"It's not a tube thing. It's a sonic screwdriver," the Doctor corrected. "How can one ever save the universe with a 'tube thing' anyway? Do you have any idea how difficult, not to mention how extremely, very not cool it would to be to save the universe with a 'tube thing'?"

"Well, can't you use it again to temporarily disable it again?"

"No. It burnt out," he replied. The cybermat was keeping up with incredible ease, he noted as he hurled a plastic head at it and pulled Rose towards the toy department.

"Then how do we stop it?" Rose questioned, sidestepping a robot dog that was left on the road.

"Er," the Doctor stumbled. "I'm not really sure. Haven't operated without my sonic for a while you see. Bit lost, but give me a moment, I'll get this."

They were heading towards the gardening department now and the cybermat was almost upon them. Rose had a sudden, dangerous and possible mad idea when she spotted something red and shiny in the distance. She bit her lip and turned back to find that the cybermat was quite close at their heels. She let go of the Doctor's hand and ran towards the bright red lawn mower she'd spied.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted in confusion. "What are you doing?"

She ignored him and proceeded to fire up the mower. It took her three tries to get it up and roaring.

"This is not a time to be trimming the grass," the Doctor whined. "There isn't even any in here!"

"I'm not trying to mow the grass, Doctor," Rose said.

"Then what _are _you doing?"

"Saving our lives," she answered and charged towards the cybermat.

The Doctor stood blinking in confusion for a moment or two before it hit him. He shouted for her to stop but it was too late. The cybermat swooped right into the blades of the lawn mower. There was a shower of sparks followed by an enormous cloud of smoke that erupted from the mower with a loud bang! And then suddenly everything ceased to move. Rose had stepped back just when the cybermat had connected with the blades and she stood by a group of shovels watching the scene with large hazel eyes.

The Doctor was the first to move forward to inspect the situation. He crouched down and winced when he spied the wreckage caught in the blades of the lawn mower. He gingerly gripped the tail end of the cybermat that was sticking out and pulled it as Rose started to move closer.

The cybermat's upper body was utterly damaged. Only its tail twitched occasionally but it was safe to say that it was as good as dead now.

"Well," Rose said tucking the stray strands of hair behind her ear. "That is how you save the universe without a 'tube thing'."

"You said that your name was the Doctor," Rose began as they exited Henrick's and stepped into the cool air outside. "Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor," came a feeble reply. He was examining the cybermat, or what was left of it anyway. It was very different from what he was familiar with, the Doctor realised. Even if it was impossibly damaged, that much was evident.

"That doesn't sound like much of a name," Rose said.

"It is though," he answered. There was something very wrong with this cybermat. "This isn't the right technology. I mean, its basic parts are from the cybermen but there've been too many modifications!"

Rose was lost. What was he on about? Maybe that head trauma was really serious. She should get him to a hospital.

"I mean look at it," the Doctor held up the broken cybermat. "Why would someone else cannibalise a cybermat? What do they want? And to send it to a _shop?_ That just doesn't make sense!"

"Maybe they want to take over Britain's shops," Rose suggested even though she had no idea who 'they' were.

The Doctor looked up at her and grinned. "Maybe it's a price war."

Rose laughed and his grin widened but was soon back to a frown as he looked back down at the cybermat in his hands.

"No, but really, what's so special about a shop? And it's definitely not an issue about electricity. That can't be what the cybermat was after and most of its upgrades seem like tracking devices. But that can't be right either. I need to run some tests in the TARDIS. Why a _shop?"_ the Doctor rambled as they stepped into the pavement. Suddenly he came to an abrupt halt. "Oh."

"What?" Rose asked.

"It's me," he said in a low voice. "It's a trap."

"What are you talking about?"

The Doctor whirled to fix her with that intent gaze of his again. "You have to go home," he told her. "You have to go home now. Run. Run as fast as you can and don't turn back and don't come looking for me."

"Why? What do you mean it's a trap?"

But he didn't answer. Instead he hurriedly turned around promptly ran smack into a lamp post.

"Ow," he moaned. "That's okay. I'm fine. Steering's just a bit off. New legs. I'll get used to it."

"I think you should go to a hospital," Rose suggested. "I could take you. You really don't look like you're fine."

"I am," he insisted. "Now go home, Rose Tyler. Have beans on toast and maybe an apple for me and watch some telly. Go on."

Rose didn't want to. She shifted her weight and watched him uncertainly as he stumbled back and broke into a run. She should go home, her rational side suggested. She'd offered to help but he'd declined. She didn't have any responsibility for a stranger but the other part of her wanted to run after him. He had a strange look about him, Rose had noted. An ancient feel in his eyes that didn't quite agree with the youth of his body but it was there as clear as day: like he'd lived for years and years and he'd been alone for quite a few of them. But that of course couldn't be right. He looked almost about her age.

Rose was just about to turn back and go home like he'd suggested when she heard a scream in the distance. His scream. Her legs operated before her mind could fully process the situation and she hurtled towards the direction she'd seen him go.

There! Behind that dumpster in the back alley of Henrick's, there was a body lying motionless on the ground. There was a strange black mist surrounding it but it dissipated as soon as Rose closed in.

"Doctor!" she called. He didn't move.

She knelt down and turned his face towards her. His eyes were closed but he was breathing. Rose exhaled in relief.

"Doctor," she said, shaking him. "Doctor."

He moaned.

"Doctor!"

His eyes flickered and focused on her.

"Doctor?" he said groggily. "Doctor who?"

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**A/N: So, what do you think? Let me know if I'm getting the characters right and warn me the second anyone becomes OOC. We can't have that, can we?**

**Also, I was wondering if I should add a part that describes happens to the Doctor in the last part of this chapter or should I just continue from where Rose found him and shed some light on the matter later on? What do you think?**


	3. Itty Bitty Baby Time Lord

**A/N: Phew! This took a while. Sorry for the late update. Been busy. Things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a psychology case study. Anyway, that's all taken care of so here you go, chapter three! And many thanks to everyone who reviewed, subscribed and added _They Dream of the Stars_ to their favourites' list: _LadaHathaway, FloraFaveXNara-Wire, JollyRoger1, summersrain, tinyrose65, Red-HeadNinja1524, vampireboysfan, tono2221, .flower, , alias093001, Wickedwolf1, Merrianna_ and _BADWOLF127_.**

**Oh and I almost forgot to tell you, Gallifrey is still there in this fic. The Time War hasn't happened yet. And even though the Doctor looks like his Eleventh incarnation, this is his Ninth body. Don't worry, I didn't make it so because I don't like Nine or anything. I love him dearly but Nine was quite broken because of the War most of his personality is the way it is because of that. Eleven is much easier to portray as a regeneration who hasn't had to go though the Time War even though he can go dark side when pushed. Anyway, enough with the rant. I just wanted to make this clear. Now, on with the chapter. Come along, Ponds. (And by that I mean readers.)**

**P.S. The first half of the chapter describes what happened to the Doctor before Rose found him.**

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Chapter Three: Itty Bitty Baby Time Lord

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He bounded down the street towards the back alley behind Henrick's where he'd parked the TARDIS. He needed to get out of here and fast. Whatever it was that wanted him, would possibly follow and this place would be safe. He could devise a plan later. Now, he'd to lead this thing away.

_This is new_, the Doctor thought as he ran. He was always running away. But never usually from trouble. Quite the other way around actually. He stopped short and let out a giggle. Ooh, new body, new experiences. This was fun!

Immediately his hand shot up as if on its own volition and slapped him across the face. "Right," he mumbled. "Focus."

The TARDIS was almost in sight now, partially hidden behind a dumpster. He increased his pace as he felt around his pockets for the key. He found the silver object and fitted it into the Yale lock and twisted. The door opened with a comforting click and he stepped inside.

The console was smoking just a bit but he figured she'd be okay. They'd survived through worse—the old girl and he.

He started the dematerialisation sequence and started to hook the broken cybermat into the TARDIS to run a scan on the new bits of upgrade it has received when the ship shook violently. His head whipped up to the monitor but he couldn't find anything wrong.

"What is it?" he asked the TARDIS, knowing he wouldn't get an answer. His world shook again, this time worse than the last and with horror, the Doctor realised that they were being dragged back to Earth. How could that even be possible? He'd been in flight. He'd slipped into the vortex. This shouldn't be possible.

They landed with a loud thump and the Doctor just stood uncertainly by the console for a moment. Should he go outside, or should he try to escape again? He didn't even have his sonic with him but...

Oh, how could he resist this? He wanted to know what this thing was and how had it managed to bring back the TARDIS. Nothing should be able to do that. At least nothing he'd ever heard about anyway.

He slowly opened the door and peeked out. It was quiet outside with only the sounds of traffic in the distance. He stepped out completely and looked around. Huh, nothing here...

And that's when he heard it: _"Itty bitty Time Lord, still just a baby," _sang a child. Or something with a child's voice. _"Itty bitty Time Lord, so far away from his Gallifrey."_

The Doctor watched in alarm as a dark mist started to coil around his feet and a sweet scent wafted, accompanying it. His vision started to swim and when he started to move back to the TARDIS, his feet tangled in itself and he tumbled down. He hardly felt the impact though.

"_Always running, never stopping, the itty bitty Time Lord," _the voice continued and the Doctor tried to ask who it was but only sound that came out was a weak gurgle. _"It's okay, sleep now; this time you must halt."_

He felt a searing pain in his head and he was only vaguely aware that he was screaming as he squeezed his eyes shut and curled into a ball.

"_Dream, dream, o Time Lord, of a time to come," _the voice laughed. _"Dream of the nightmare you shall soon become."_

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"Ooh," the Doctor moaned. "This is _glorious!"_

"And you said this was called chips?" he asked for the fifth time. Rose was counting.

"Yes," she answered, bemused.

"It's brilliant! I've never had chips before," he said gleefully. "Well, not any that I remember. But I don't remember anything so that's a bit of a moot point."

Rose couldn't help the small smile that crept up. She was taking this situation quite pleasantly, she noted. Maybe she was just _that_ bored with the normality in her life. There was an alien standing beside her, talking at a hundred miles an hour about how fantastic he thought chips were and she wasn't even batting an eye. And that had been quite something, the fact that she'd accepted that this strange Doctor was from another planet—Gallifrey, he'd called it. But then again, humans didn't have two hearts and she had damn well felt twin beats on both sides of his chest when he'd brought her hands up to prove his alien-ness.

She'd just stayed still in that alley where she had found him for almost entire minute with her hands placed on his chest, her hazel eyes locked with his green ones.

"You're an alien," she'd mouthed.

"Yes," he answered. "Is that alright?"

"Yeah." Her reply had been instantaneous and his smile infectious before his attention shifted and he'd asked her for an apple once more.

She didn't drop her smile as she led him out of the alley to find some, neither noticing the big blue box that stood forlornly behind them.

He hated apples as it turned out. And he asked for yoghurt next which he promptly spit the instant it made contact with his taste buds. They wandered around a bit, trying to find something that he liked for the next twenty minutes before she decided to try some chips. His response, needless to say was quite enthusiastic. As was basically everything he said or did. He was very much like a child on sugar high.

He was also very clumsy and constantly kept bumping into things and people or knocking stuff down. He repeatedly assured Rose though that it alright and that he was alright and this was quite normal with a new body.

"Are you wearing a human suit then," Rose asked at his use of the term 'new body. "Is that why you don't look all...green and slimy?"

The Doctor seemed to take offence to that. "Do I have a chain in my forehead and a weight problem?" he asked indignantly. "Or a flatulency issue?"

"Um, no?" Rose said.

"This is how I normally look." He said. "Well, okay, not normally. New face. But I definitely look human. Or humans look like Time Lords. Take your pick. Though technically we came first. But the point is, not all aliens are green or slimy."

"Okay," nodded, trying to keep up. "But some _are, _yeah?"

"Yes, but I'm not one of them," he stated firmly. "Raxocoricofallipatorians are. And the inhabitants of Gwalif 3. And Clom. Those are really nasty."

"So, wait," Rose cut him off. "How come you can remember all this stuff but not your own name?"

"Good question, Rose Tyler," he said, tapping her nose. "It's called Retrograde Amnesia. Basically, I can remember all the basic facts but not actual memories."

"It's not permanent though, is it?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Not usually," he said. "Funny thing is, this shouldn't have happened at all to me. I'm a Time Lord. Whatever is the cause of this is probably very not good. I can't tell you what degree of 'not good' but it's definitely a high scale of 'very'. Did you really not see anything when you found me?"

"No," Rose answered. "There wasn't anyone else there."

"Think hard," he insisted. "This is very important."

"Um," Rose took a deep breath and complied. She remembered running after him right after she'd heard his scream and she'd found him lying on the floor unconscious. She had cast a quick look around to see if she could spot an assailant or anything that she should beware of but they were alone. There was a dumpster beside them and a strange looking blue box that had "Police Public Call Box" written at the top. But she hadn't paid any attention to it because the Doctor had woken up then but he couldn't recall who he was.

"Doctor who?" he had asked her. And then, "Where am I?"

He sniffed the air. "It smells wrong. What planet is this?" And without waiting for an answer he stuck his tongue out. "Hmm, I'm getting Earth, London, 21st century. Strange...how did I get here?"

And that was when Rose had tried to get him to come with her to the hospital like she'd had only a few minutes ago. His reaction was much strong this time.

"No!" he'd said firmly. "This is 21st century Earth. I can't go to a hospital."

"Why not?"

"Because," he fumbled for the right words. How _do _you break it to a 21st century ignorant human that he wasn't one? With a sigh, he settled for taking both her hands and placing one over each of his hearts. He watched as her face contorted in confusion before her eyes widened when realisation hit.

He grinned immediately.

"You're an alien," she whispered.

She didn't know why that was her immediate conclusion. He could have been something else or just a unique human with two hearts but alien felt the right thing for him to be. And he confirmed her with a cheerful, "yes" before being sidetracked by his craving for an apple.

As they walked back out to find one, he asked her what she knew about him because apparently he couldn't recall a thing.

She shook her head. "We just met," she explained. "I was at my job at Henrick's when you bumped into me while chasing this mouse thing...er, cybermat. You called it a cybermat."

"What's Henrick's?"

"It's a shop," she turned around and pointed at the building behind which she'd found him unconscious. "That one, see?"

"What was a cybermat doing in a shop?"

"I don't know," Rose shrugged. "You figured that it was strange then too. I think you realised what was wrong before you ran off because you mumbled something about a trap and told me to go home immediately and not turn back."

"And yet you did," he grinned.

Rose just gave him a cheeky smile.

"So," he continued. "I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah," Rose said. "That's what you told me. The Doctor, just the Doctor."

"What's your name?"

"Rose Tyler."

He smiled. It suited her. "Nice to meet you Rose Tyler."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor."

And then he expressed a craving for yoghurt and they were off again and she'd never mentioned the box. She hadn't even once thought that it was important. But now...maybe the smallest detail could help me.

"There was a box," she started cautiously and he immediately perked up.

"What kind of a box?"

"Um, it was blue and sort of strange," she said. She'd never seen something like that before. But it had to be just a box, right? What else could it be? "And it said 'Police Box' at the top. 'Police Public Call Box'."

"Ooh, a Police Box from the 1950s," he said as he munched on a chip. His last one. His face fell and Rose offered him the rest of hers. She smiled at the grin that returned to his features. Yes, he was very much like a child indeed.

"If it's from the 1950s, what's it doing here in 2010?" she asked.

"I don't know," the Doctor answered. "Let's find out."

He held out his hand and wriggled his fingers and Rose took it without a moment's hesitation.

"Geronimo!" he said as he led them back towards the way they'd come.

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**A/N: So, did you like it? Review to let me know. Your responses fuel my creativity and help me to write the chapters quicker. Bye for now. :)**


	4. Mother of Doom

**A/N: Apologies for the late update. Been procrastinating way too much. Anyway, a great big thanks to****_ JollyRoger1, Jackeline, FloraFaveXNara-Wire, LadaHathaway, summersrain, Peter1398, andrewjeeves_**** and ****_CaskettJisbonFriend_**** for your support. Hope you like the chapter. :)**

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CHAPTER FOUR: Mother of Doom

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Together, they walked back the way they'd come. Well, not exactly the way they'd come. They'd run around the place quite a bit looking for apples and yogurts and 'fried stuff' (his words) and anything that wasn't evil, poisonous or disgusting to eat.

When they arrived at the spot where she'd seen the Police Box, it wasn't there. There was only a square outline in the dirt to attest that she hadn't been wrong.

"Can police boxes just up and walk away?" Rose said; a bit confused. She was certain that the box had been here.

"Not that I know of," the Doctor said and picked a swab of the dirt where the box had been and put it in his mouth. Rose watched in disgust as he looked thoughtful for a moment before hastily spitting it out.

He belched and tried to clean his tongue in vain.

"Are all aliens this disgusting?" Rose asked.

"What?" he said but it came out more like 'waaa' as he held his tongue between his fingers, trying to rid it of the taste of dirt.

"Not all of them," he said properly this time.

"So is this just a Time Lord thing then?"

"Uh, not exactly," he said evasively.

Rose was about to pose another question when her phone started ringing shrilly, demanding attention. She pulled it out of her pocket to see who the caller was.

"Hold on," she told the Doctor. "I've got to take this; it's mum."

The Doctor turned his attention back to the box's imprint on the ground. Whatever the box had been, it definitely wasn't from here. There wasn't much he could detect from the residual traces left in the dirt, but it was not something of Earth, that much was certain.

"I've got to go," Rose informed him as she hung up. "It's almost ten."

"Right," he said with a hint of dismay. "Okay."

"Um," she began, "do you have anywhere to stay? I mean, do you know anyone here or do you have any money to check into a hotel or something...or what about your ship? You must have come here in a spaceship or something, right?"

He dug into his pockets and pulled out a yo-yo, a Brussels sprout, a couple of bananas, something he called a credit stick from the 51st century, a snow globe, a packet of crisps, a strange device that he called a 'timey-wimey detector' and a pair of glasses but no money. In the back of her mind Rose wondered if his pockets just went on forever to be able to hold so much...junk.

"Uh, sorry," the Doctor said sheepishly. "No money and I don't know any humans other than you. Neither do I know anything about a spaceship."

"Right," Rose said, "of course. The amnesia."

The Doctor nodded.

"Okay then," she said with a sigh and held out her hand towards him. "Mum will probably not take this well. She might not even believe any of this but I can't just leave you out here alone. It's not every day you get to meet an alien from Gallifrey...is that right, Gallifrey?"

"Yes, it is."

"Right then," she said as he slid his hand in hers. "Off we go."

"What are you going to tell your mother then?" he asked. "If I'm right, humans aren't very aware of extraterrestrial life at this point of time."

"Hmm, let's see...how about, 'look mum, I found a stray Time Lord. May I keep him?'"

The Doctor looked at her strangely and she suppressed a giggled. "Will that work?" he asked her seriously.

"No," she laughed. "It'll be more convincing if I tell her you're my boyfriend."

He blanched. "Will _that_ work?"

"Nope," she gave him the cheeky smile from before—the one with her tongue between her teeth. "She'll probably slap you if I say that."

He flinched distinctively with a look of horror on his face. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. "Don't worry," she assured. "It's a couple minutes walk to the estate. Let's think of a plan on the way, alright?"

* * *

In the end they couldn't come up with anything good enough though. So it was with a little apprehension that Rose opened the front door and peeked in.

"Mum?" she called but there wasn't any reply.

They stepped inside and the Doctor carefully tried to hide behind Rose in case her Mother of Doom stepped out and decided to slap him just for the hell of it. But evidently the flat was empty as Rose looked around a bit to find no sign of Jackie Tyler. The Doctor let out an involuntary sigh of relief and let go of Rose's hand—which he'd been holding the whole time—to snoop around the place.

"Oh look at this," he said gesturing to the whole of the living room. "It's a proper house. A proper human house with...with a rug! A rug and curtains and a coffee table! And a rug!" He gave a little twirl before announcing solemnly. "I don't like the rug."

Rose laughed at his endearing enthusiasm as he jumped about picking up a photo frame here and a book there and looking at it all like it was one of the wonders of the world. He suddenly stopped and placed the photo frame in his hands on the coffee table and walked over to the mirror.

"My eyebrows are gone!" he wailed in distress. "And look at that chin! It...It just keeps going on, blimey!"

"It's not so bad," Rose assured, stepping closer. He looked really good actually. Minus the torn and dirty clothes, that is. He was, to be honest one of the best looking blokes Rose had come across in the past nineteen years of her life. Even better than Jimmy. And to top it off, he wasn't an arse. Possible mad though, but she didn't mind.

"I suppose you're right," he sighed. "I've had worse. At least I have hair."

_And great hair that is too_, Rose added mentally. _And those eyes! Ooh, and the cheekbones...just had to be from another planet, didn't you?_

She didn't voice any of that though. "Wonder where mum ran off to," she mumbled instead as she dug through her pockets for her mobile. She dialled Jackie's number while the Doctor wandered off towards the kitchen.

"Jammie Dodgers!" she heard him whoop in delight just as her mother's phone began to ring. She didn't hear it at first over the Doctor's gleeful shouts but the moment he quieted down and returned with three packets of Jammie Dodgers and a couple of bananas, the ringing from the bedroom became more prominent.

Rose stepped inside to find her mum's mobile by the dresser, ringing away merrily. She sighed and hung up. Jackie must have been in a hurry to wherever she'd gone if she had forgotten her phone back in the flat. Oh well, they'd just have to wait a bit. All the better maybe since that would give them the time to formulate something of a plan to properly explain the situation with the cute alien in the living room who was munching away at the last of the biscuits.

She closed the bedroom door behind her and sat down beside the Doctor on the sofa. For someone who didn't remember a shred of his life and was stranded on another planet, he seemed quite as ease. He was actually enjoying himself a bit, as though he did this on a daily basis. Maybe he did. Who knows? He certainly seemed mad enough.

Rose was in the middle of devising an excuse for her mother that she was hopeful might possible work when the front door burst open.

"Sweetheart," Jackie called, "you back yet?"

The Doctor looked up and Rose returned his panicked gaze.

"Yeah mum," Rose called back. "I'm in here."

"Oh good," Jackie continued, closing the door. "Mickey's Gran got worse. Her fever spiked up this evening so I popped by to see if I could help. I was gonna call you but I think I left my pho—"

Her words died out when she noticed the raggedy stranger in sofa looking like a child being caught stealing cookie at night. Which wasn't really far off the mark if the empty biscuit packets had anything to say.

An uncomfortable silence began to descend before Jackie chose to break it. "Who the hell are you? She demanded.

Rose gulped. "He's er..."

"I'm er..." the Doctor began.

"Yes?" Jackie prompted.

"He's my friend," Rose said.

"Right," the Doctor jumped in, "yes. I'm Rose's friend...John. John Smith."

Jackie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I've never heard of you before."

"That's because I'm, er, Rose's secret friend!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Yes, I'm her secret internet friend. They _do _have internet in this century, right?"

Rose groaned. She should just have blurted out that he was an alien the moment mum stepped in. Or she could have tied the Doctor up and told Jackie that he was some rich boy she'd kidnapped and was going to hold for ransom. Even _those_ conversations would have gone better than this one was bound to.

And sure enough, Jackie fixed Rose with an incredulous stare that seemed to ask, _secret internet what?_

Rose was about to deny it and go with the alien explanation when the Doctor cut her off.

"Have you got a cat?" he asked, moving towards the front door.

"No," Rose said. "We did have but—"

"Then what's that?" the Doctor interrupted again, pointing at the cat flap—which Rose could have sworn her mum had said she'd nailed weeks ago—that was rattling.

Jackie turned back and rolled her eyes. "Probably a stray," she said. "Now don't try to lead this conversation elsewhere. I want some explanations."

"Didn't you nail that thing?" Rose insisted.

"She did," the Doctor answered for Jackie who was getting impatient. "Look."

Rose followed the direction he was pointing at and sure enough, littered on the ground by the cat flap were the nails her mother had used to seal the opening. The flap rattled once more and through it jumped in a gleaming metal mouse, its razor sharp teeth grinning wickedly at them.

"What sort of joke is this?" Jackie said, annoyed. She boldly sauntered towards what she believe was a toy mouse but Rose grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"What are you afraid of a toy for?" Jackie asked.

"It's not a toy, mum," Rose said.

"It's a cybermat," the Doctor said, leading them backwards. "Didn't you say I was following one when we met?"

"Yes," Rose affirmed. "But this can't be the same one. I killed it."

"Maybe it was just disabled," the Doctor suggested as they slowly backed off to one of the bedrooms. "It looks quite alive to me."

"No, I ran it though a lawn mower," Rose said.

The Doctor paused to give her a strange look.

"Your sonic thing was broken," she explained with an apologetic smile.

"What are you two _on _about?" Jackie shouted in exasperation and broke off from Rose's grip to make towards the cybermat again. "And why are we running away from a toy mouse? It probably belongs to one of the kids downstairs."

"No!" the Doctor and Rose shouted in unison and reached for Jackie and at the same time the cybermat lurched. It narrowly missed the trio as they ducked and the Doctor shut the bedroom door. There was a thud as the cybermat hit the wood.

"Okay, that's a new cybermat," the Doctor said. "We're being hunted by cybermats. Do you have any more of those lawn mowers?"

"Sorry, no." Rose said.

"Guess we need a new plan then," he said with a small laugh which was drowned by Jackie's shriek.

"What the hell is _that_ now?"

The Doctor and Rose turned around at the same time to see the object that Jackie was pointing at. It sat in a corner by the bed—Rose's bed for this was her room—its dark blue exterior a stark contrast to the room's light pink walls.

"A 1950's Police Box," Rose and the Doctor answered at the same time.

* * *

**A/N: How was it? Did I get Jackie right? Let me know. I love reading your reviews.**

**Anyway, I'd like to let you know that the next chapter might take a while because I have practical exams from the 1st of Febuary. This is for my Board Exams which means that it's imperative that I ace them. Fingers crossed. Wish me luck! (Because I'll definitely need it seeing as I haven't studied at all. T_T)**


	5. Bigger On The Inside

**A/N: I'm incredibly sorry for how long it took me to update this chapter. I expected to have it completed a day or two after my practicals (which went wonderfully. Thanks for all your good wishes) but I just wasn't able to find the time to get anything written. Oh well, I made this chapter a little longer than all the others as a way of an apology. Hope you like it.**

**But before I proceed, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to review or add _They Dream of the Stars _ to their favourites' list and/or subscribed to this story. _LadaHathaway, JollyRoger1, Ennaline, SittingOnTheEdgeOfTheUnivers e, The Doctor Rose, Pig-Rabbit-Suk, Miyu Hinamori, summersrain, .delicious, ladyamadaun, Xanastic, PikaPikaChuChu, No Shadows In Sun, Laikayanel, sailorbebe, AnimeFreak1001, temh8, Pitinkabell, ElfDrake, kuroXIII, Reader's Angel, firetruckingred119_ and _JanJan L-chan_, thanks for your support!**

* * *

Chapter Five: Bigger On The Inside

* * *

_"Okay, that's a new cybermat," the Doctor said. "We're being hunted by cybermats. Do you have any more of those lawn mowers?"_

_"Sorry, no." Rose said._

_"Guess we need a new plan then," he said with a small laugh which was drowned by Jackie's shriek._

_"What the hell is_ that _now?"_

_The Doctor and Rose turned around at the same time to see the object that Jackie was pointing at. It sat in a corner by the bed—Rose's bed for this was her room—its dark blue exterior a stark contrast to the room's light pink walls._

_"A 1950's Police Box," Rose and the Doctor answered at the same time._

That's when things got even worse than they already were and it started with Jackie trying to go back into the living room. Again. Rose tried to stop her but her mother jerked away from her grasp and with a withering look towards her daughter, opened the door.

Of course, the cybermat immediately took the opportunity to lurch forward with teeth bared and glistening wickedly. Rose immediately pushed her mother out of the way and just in time. The cybermat missed them by a hairline and swerved around to have another go.

The Doctor, in the meantime hadn't even noticed these events, too preoccupied by the mystery box. He circled around it before pausing in front of the doors. He reached towards it cautiously and tapped the wooden exterior. Stepping closer, he took a long sniff this time and his face lighted up immediately.

"Ooh," he whistled. "If this is what I think it is..."

Rose wasn't listening though. She and Jackie—who had now noticed the metal mouse's sharp teeth—were busy evading the killer alien in the room.

The Doctor swabbed the wooden box with a finger and tasted it.

"Yep," he said with excitement. "This isn't a 1950s Police Box. Well, not a real one at least. It's a TARDIS. A type 40 TARDIS, in fact. There's a museum piece in your bedroom, Rose Tyler. That's something to brag about."

"Great," Rose shouted back. The cybermat was almost upon her and just as it was about to jump, Jackie trapped it inside an upturned trashcan. It struggled to escape but Jackie help on as tightly as she could.

"What _is _this thing?" Jackie asked, a little breathless.

"It's a cybermat," Rose said, looking towards the Doctor for help in a proper explanation but he was busy turning over his pockets, looking for something.

"What's a cybermat? And I want a proper explanation about this!" Jackie said firmly. "This mouse thing—God, it's strong—and that box and your secret friend. I want a good, proper explanation about this all!"

Rose gulped and wondered exactly how to break the situation to her mother without having her call the police. Jackie wasn't one to take news on aliens very calmly. There was sure to be a ruckus but maybe with the right words, Rose could minimise the effects and possibly even pave the ground into convincing Jackie to let the Doctor stay with them until he regained his memories or was able to contact his home planet.

"Well?" Jackie prompted.

At the exact moment, the Doctor let out a triumphant whoop and a jump of delight. Both Rose and Jackie whipped their heads at the sound and just for a second, Jackie's grip on the cybermat's trashcan prison loosened. That, however was all it took for it to break free.

Jackie almost toppled over as the cybermat pushed out of the trashcan and made a sharp turn to charge back towards them. The Doctor finally having assessed the situation took hold of Rose's hand and Rose, in turn, grabbed Jackie by her jacket and pulled them towards the blue box. Rose saw the flash of a silver key in the Doctor's hand before he pushed it into the lock in the box and turned.

There was a swift click and then the three of them were piling inside.

"It's going to follow us—" Rose began but her words died in her throat as she finally saw the interior of what was supposed to be a tiny police box.

"Oh," the Doctor whispered in awe, "you sexy thing."

Rose could hardly believe it. If there had not been a murderous alien on the other side that wooden door, she'd have run off outside and given a full and good inspection around the box to check if her eyes were deceiving her.

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, spreading his arms, "welcome to the TARDIS. That's T-A-R-D-I-S. It stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"It's..." Rose trailed off in an awed voice. "The inside's bigger than the outside...?" she said in a sort of a questioning way.

"Yes, it is," the Doctor grinned.

"You really _are_ an alien."

"Yes, I am."

Rose let out a heavy breath and stared wide eyed at the orange and blue-green interior. It was simply beautiful. From the glass floor to the central column with the panel of buttons and levers around it...it was all just so wonderfully beautiful.

Jackie, on the other hand, wasn't finding the TARDIS quite so brilliant. A murderous metal mouse was one thing but a bigger-on-the-inside blue box and a supposed alien was a little too much for her to handle. In fact, the only reason she had not ran out screaming was that she was far too shocked to move.

Meanwhile, the Doctor scuttled about, looking for something that might help with the cybermat problem at hand. He looked around the console, under the jump seat, and under the glass floor and finally found a large toolbox nestled in a corner.

"Let's see what we have here," he said with a wide smile.

Rose skipped down to join him when all of a sudden her stomach lurched painfully. She had been feeling a little off that evening but it was nothing as serious as it was now. She felt like her gut was being wrenched out and there was a slow pounding—a rhythmic da-da-da-dum—that seemed to be creeping up the base of her skull.

The unexpected bout of pain prompted her to settle down on one of the steps leading down under the console where the Doctor was busy rummaging through the toolbox that seemed to have even odder things than the contents of his pockets.

Rose took a deep breath, then another, and another in an attempt to stop herself from throwing up the contents of her stomach. The headache seemed to dim just a little bit with every breath she took, replaced by a small, vaguely familiar melody that was somehow soothing.

She rapidly blinked back the tears that had blurred up her vision when the pounding had reached its peak a moment ago. It was much better now and even the song was fading from here memory and her stomach had almost settled back to normal. Just before the last stands of the melody faded away, Rose thought that she saw a swirl of gold around her vision but then she blinked and it was gone.

_"A little girl once wandered off,_

_To the woods of the big, bad wolf_

_In a little hood as red as her blood;_

_And a beating heart so good."_

Rose jumped up as a child's voice drawled from a small round device in the Doctor's hands. He fumbled around before hitting a switch and the singing stopped.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly before stuffing the sphere back inside the toolbox. Now that Rose felt much better, she gingerly stepped up and crept closer to the Doctor but he immediately whirled around, grabbed her hand on the way and ran back up to the console.

"Nothing there to disable the cybermat," he said. "Although, I did find this."

He held out a banana and Rose pressed her lips together to suppress a smile.

"Bananas are good," the Doctor hummed.

"So, how do we stop the cybermat this time?" Rose inquired. "Do _you_ happen to have a lawn mower in here?"

The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Possibly. But it could take years to find it, and I do mean that literally.

"Then what do we do?"

"Hmm, you mentioned some sort of a sonic device?" the Doctor asked. He remembered her saying that his "sonic thing" was broken as a way of explaining why she'd run the other cybermat through a lawn mower.

"Um, you called it a sonic screwdriver," Rose replied.

"A sonic screwdriver?" he repeated. "A screwdriver...that's sonic. Oho, that's brilliant."

As if on cue, a strange sound from the console brought all eyes to it. There, peeking in from behind a lever was a shiny new sonic screwdriver. Rose didn't see it at first but the Doctor did. He immediately jumped up towards the console and pulled the new sonic free.

"Thanks, girl," the Doctor said with glee. He tossed the screwdriver in the air and caught it, then started pointing it around the room, making the same strange whirring sound from before. Rose noted that this new screwdriver wasn't quite like the previous one. It had a green light at the tip instead of a blue one and claw-like features framing it.

"Wonderful!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Now we can go save the world. Well, not exactly the world, but you get the point."

He took Rose's hand again and bounded towards the doors where Jackie still stood, unmoving and with her mouth slightly agape.

"Oh, look," said the Doctor. "I think your mother's in shock."

He giggled like a schoolboy and pointed the sonic at Jackie. "Yep," he confirmed. "She's in shock."

And as if to emphasise the point he poked her cheek and looked back at Rose with his smile intact. Now, if Rose had been aware that he'd go around poking Jackie Tyler of all people, she would have warned him. Because poking Jackie Tyler was a very bad idea. A very, _very _ bad idea.

This was proved when as quick as lightning, Jackie's hand whipped out and slapped the Doctor, sending his read reeling back. He stumbled back with his cheek throbbing and eyes wide. Apparently being poked by an alien was enough to bring her out of her shock. It was now the Doctor who was rendered immobile to his spot.

He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, looking for, but finding no words for the situation before a slight movement from Jackie had him scrambling behind Rose for protection. Rose patted him comfortingly while struggling not to laugh. The look on his face was simply priceless.

Jackie let out a high-pitched distressed scream before she yanked the TARDIS door and ran directly into the waiting cybermat. Again.

This time, however, the Doctor acted before Jackie was pounced on. With only a couple of seconds delay—where he debated whether he should let the cybermat have at least a nip of the monster of a woman—he pointed his brand new sonic screwdriver and with the press of a button, the cybermat dropped to the floor.

Jackie shrieked again and Rose tried to guide her mother to sit over at the bed before she passed out. The Doctor was just about pick up the little invader in the room when Rose remembered something that he'd said when they'd been running in Henrick's.

"Um, are you sure that the cybermat is really disabled?" she asked. "Last time, you tried to kill it with your sonic, it woke up a few minutes later. You said something about it being shielded from er...metastatic energy."

"Oh," the Doctor said and immediately retracted his hand. He fiddled with his screwdriver, looking for the proper setting.

"Ah," he exclaimed and pointed it at the cybermat. A short green beam shot towards it and with one final spasm, the cybermat lay smoking ever so slightly on the ground. "There, done. Disabled permanently this time."

Rose let go of her mother's arm and started to step towards the Doctor but Jackie immediately pulled her back.

"Who _are_ you?" Jackie asked the Doctor shrilly.

"Um," the Doctor looked up sheepishly and shifted his weight nervously from one foot to another. "Okay, so I lied," he confessed. "I'm not really your daughter's secret internet friend. I'm her secret alien friend."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jackie lurched for the phone and started dialling.

"Mum!" Rose pulled the receiver back into its cradle. "What are you doing?"

"What do you think? I'm calling the police."

"Don't!"

"Why the hell not?"

"Because," Rose said, trying to be patient. "They'll cart him away and experiment on him."

"So?" Jackie argued.

"Mum, he saved our lives."

Jackie pursed her lips and cast a fearful glance towards the Doctor who had been listening to the exchange quietly from beside the TARDIS.

"Mum," Rose said softly. "Let us explain this properly before you do anything hasty. Please."

Jackie looked between the Doctor and Rose for a moment before sighing. "I'm gonna need a cuppa," she said finally, moving towards the kitchen.

Rose let out a relieved breath that she wasn't aware she was holding.

"Oh," the Doctor said, stepping in front of Jackie. "Let me. I'm very good at tea."

He ran into the kitchen but turned around suddenly. "Well, I think I am," he said uncertainly before moving to find the kettle with a shug.

"No!" Jackie shouted, pulling the kettle away from the Doctor's hands. "I don't want any alien dipping his tentacles into my tea."

The Doctor made a face and pulled the kettle back from Jackie. "I do _not_ have any _tentacles!"_ he said with an indignant pout.

Rose let the two argue like little children for a moment longer before she decided to intervene. She took the Doctor's hand and started to lead him away, reminding him in a hushed whisper that her mother might try for another slap if provoked too much. The Doctor almost knocked over a vase in his hurry to get away from Jackie.

Rose couldn't help the laugh that escaped from her throat. The Doctor shot her a wounded look and flopped down on the sofa.

In the kitchen, Jackie exhaled shakily and closed her eyes, trying to find some composure. Aliens...there were actual aliens in her house. A metal mouse and a very human-like alien with a box that was simply far too mad to exist.

The whole situation was mad in fact and if she could have had her way, she would have the authorities lock them all up, away from her and her daughter.

But...but if she gave it some more thought to what Rose had said, that aliend friend of hers did more or less get rid of the metal mouse that had been definitely aiming its teeth in their direction.

Plus, he didn't look all that alien-like or scary. He looked about Rose's age actually, with boyish features and a bit of a childlike attitude.

Jackie winced at the thought of him being dragged away and being experimented on. God, she wasn't sure about anything anymore. She really needed that cuppa.

She put the kettle on, pulled out two cups and then with pursed lips, brought another one out and waited for the water to boil.

Minutes later, she emerged with three cups of steaming tea, offered one to Rose and another to the alien, then sat down on one of the chairs with her own cup between her hands.

"Alright then," Jackie said, taking a sip, "start explaining."

* * *

It took much longer to explain everything to Jackie than Rose had expected but when she was done; the long silence that settled over the living room was not something she'd expected. Jackie hadn't even interrupted once during the time she and the Doctor took turns to narrate the events of that evening.

Finally, Jackie leaned forward and rested her face on her hands and mumbled something that Rose didn't quite catch. With a long drawn out sigh, Jackie lifted her head back up and asked tiredly, "Why couldn't you have fancied some bloke off the estate? Did it have to be an alien?"

Rose turned a bright shade of red. "Mum!" she hissed.

"What?" Jackie asked. "Don't think I haven't noticed. I'm not blind or thick. He's all young and pretty and the two of you keep holding hands and sitting close and even finish each other's sentences."

Rose immediately pulled away from the Doctor's hand that she wasn't even aware she was holding and both of them sprang apart to the opposite sides of the sofa.

"I don't...I...I'm just helping...as a friend," Rose took a deep breath as she struggled to compose a proper sentence. "I'm just helping a friend."

"Oh, whatever," Jackie said with a roll of her eyes.

"Besides," Rose continued as if her mother hadn't spoken, "now that we've found his spaceship, the Doctor can go back home and figure out his memory problem."

Even as she said it, Rose felt disappointment settling in. There goes her adventure. Come morning, she'd be back to being a shop girl again and this entire thing would be just a fantastic story that she probably wouldn't even be able to tell anyone without ending up being institutionalised.

"Right!" the Doctor stood up. "My spaceship. Well, time and space ship. I can go back to Gallifrey now."

Rose expected to see him smiling as he said it but she was surprised to see him frowning instead.

"What's wrong?" she asked, standing up as well.

"Nothing," he smiled this time but it seemed forced.

"Doctor—"

"Thank you," he interrupted and with a slight hesitation pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for your help, Rose Tyler."

She felt her cheeks heat up again as she hugged him back. He pulled away after holding on for a moment too long, at least by Jackie's standards and started to move towards Jackie but stopped abruptly as if remembering the slap.

"Thank you," he said with a nod and turned towards Rose's bedroom where the TARDIS was parked. His sudden decision for departure took Rose by surprise and it was only after a couple of seconds that she ran after him.

"You're leaving?" she asked.

"Well," he said, "I guess, yes."

"Right now?"

He nodded.

"Oh." The disappointment in her voice was clear.

"Would you...?" he started but bit his lips, swallowing the sentence.

Rose looked at him expectantly, prompting him to continue.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked quietly, enough so that Jackie who was still in the living room wouldn't hear. "All of time and space...the past, the future, every planet in the universe...? What do you say?"

Rose simply stared with wide eyes. She wasn't sure how to answer him. A large part of her wanted to say yes but the woman in the next room held her back. She couldn't simply leave her mother alone, could she?

"You don't have to answer right away," he said in a rush when he saw her hesitation. For some reason, he didn't want her to say no. He wasn't sure why, but he longed for this human's company more than he longed for more Jammie Dodgers at the moments. And bananas. That was really something.

Plus, she'd helped him much more than anyone else would have and she was so very brave. She definitely deserved a thank you gift for her troubles and what better way to say thanks than the promise of all of time and space?

"I need to make a quick stop at Gallifrey," he continued. "Humans aren't allowed there, if I recall correctly, which on second thought might not be so correct, what with the memory scramble, but after I come back, you can decide if you want to come with me."

Rose nodded instantly and he grinned and run up to hug her again.

"Are you two kissing in there?" Jackie hollered. "I won't allow any kissing in the bedroom."

Rose ducked her head to hide her blush. The Doctor was just as red.

"Mum!"

With a chuckle, the Doctor stepped away and produced a simple Yale key from his trouser pocket and fitted it into the lock of the blue Police box.

"Be back in five minutes," he said and disappeared behind the doors.

Within seconds, Rose heard a grinding noise emit from the box and it started to dematerialise. For a second she felt like this was somehow goodbye, that he wouldn't be back again but then, all off a sudden, the splitting headache from before returned with such force that she could no longer think anymore. It hurt so much that she had to close her eyes. She didn't see her mother rush towards her as she crumpled into the ground. Neither did she see the TARDIS return. All she saw was gold. It swam all around her, singing in an ancient language and calling for her.

She fainted.

* * *

**A/N: So how was it?**

**My exams start this Friday and will continue till the 6th of April so updates will be slow till then. I apologise for that but there's nothing I can really do about it. I will, however try to update quickly during my holidays.**

**Oh, and also, while I was re-reading the previous chapters, I've noticed that I missed out on a whole lot of typos. I've corrected them but I might have overlooked some. Especially in this chapter. So if anyone notices anything, please let me know. And again, if any character starts behaving like he/she shouldn't , please tell me about it. My usual beta is busy with her exams so she won't be helping me for quite a while. If anyone here would like to help me out with the editing, I've be very grateful. PM me to let me know.**

**Till the next chapter. :)**


	6. Not Blue

Chapter Six: Not Blue

* * *

She was saying something to Jackie but he wasn't really listening. The Doctor suddenly felt a strange chill in the air. He'd felt it once before, when they'd been inside the TARDIS and he was rummaging through the tool box. The hairs on the back of his head stood up as he could literally feel the timelines bend painfully. He didn't understand it. But whatever was going on was very, very wrong.

_"...you mumbled something about a trap and told me to go home immediately and not turn back."_

He remembered Rose saying that. A trap. It could only be for him. He was the one being tailed by cybermats and having his memory bonked.

...bonked? Okay, never thinking and definitely not saying that aloud ever again.

"...now that we've found his spaceship, the Doctor can go back home and figure out his memory problem," he caught the tail end of Rose's conversation.

He had to get away before Rose and her mum got hurt.

"Right!" he said, standing up. "My spaceship. Well, time and space ship. I can go back to Gallifrey now."

He didn't really want to though, but there wasn't much he could do here. If he could get his memory back, he could find out what was going on here faster. Which meant that he could come back to find Rose again.

Huh...that's new. He had a feeling that he didn't come back for people often. But Rose seemed special. To begin with, not many people dealt with aliens as calmly as she did, and even fewer people would help one. She was also very quick thinking to have disposed of a cybermat using a lawn mower. Crude, but it did save their behinds.

He recognised potential when he saw it, and Rose Tyler definitely had lots of it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the frown on his face.

Potential and perception.

So, it was no surprise that he wanted her to come and travel with him. He just wasn't sure how to ask her. Especially with her mother sitting right there in the same room. The Doctor was certain that Jackie Tyler would stab him with the kitchen knife if he tried to whisk her daughter away. Multiple times.

He hugged her instead. Rose, that is. And thanked both her and Jackie before moving to Rose's bedroom to leave. He'd just find her and ask her after things had settled and his current problems had been sorted.

Right. Good. That's that. Perfect.

"You're leaving?" There was disappointment in her voice.

And there went his resolve.

Besides, they were in her bedroom now. If he said it softly enough, Jackie wouldn't hear him and before she could know anything and try to stop him, he'd have whisked Rose off to another planet. Perfect.

"Would you...?" he began but stopped himself.

She looked up at him expectedly.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asked, lowering his voice to ensure that Jackie wouldn't hear his words. "All of time and space...the past, the future, every planet in the universe...? What do you say?"

He saw her eyes widen and he grinned. But then she stole a glance at the woman in the other room and even as she bit her lip and considered, he felt like rejection was coming his way.

"You don't have to answer right away," he said hurriedly, trying to salvage the situation. If he could just show her how mundane her life was compared to the stars, he was certain that she'd accept his offer. And he needed her to accept it. He wasn't entirely sure why. Call it a gut feeling.

Never had those before either. Not that he could remember, but it felt strange.

He was feeling all sort of curious things today.

He proceeded to tell her how he had to make a quick stop at Gallifrey and fix his memory. She could take her time to make a decision until then.

Rose nodded and he couldn't help but steal another hug. Hugs were cool. And hugging Rose Tyler was the coolest.

She smelled like rain and tea and if he could, he would never let go. Blimey, he was getting attached pretty quickly.

"Are you two kissing in there," the Doctor felt heat creep up his face at Jackie's accusation and he struggled to control his biological response. "I won't allow any kissing in the bedroom."

Rose groaned into his chest. "Mum!"

With a chuckle, the Doctor released her and stepped towards his TARDIS. "Be back in five minutes," he promised as he pulled a key from his pockets and stepped inside his sexy blue box.

He ran up to the console and started the dematerialisation sequence, bouncing and flaying around to reach a lever or a button. He had safely manoeuvred into the vortex when suddenly a massive shock pulled the TARDIS back the way it had come. Sparks emitted from the console as the Doctor was thrown into the floor from the jolt.

"No!" he screeched as he got up and read the monitor. "No, no, no, no, no!"

He jumped around, trying to get the TARDIS back into the vortex. The TARDIS didn't behave no matter what though. They hurtled back to their last stop. To Earth, England, London, the Powell Estate, Rose Tyler's bedroom and the Doctor couldn't stop it.

They landed with a thump and the Doctor groaned as he had to pull himself up from the floor again. He was about to check what the problem was so that he could fix it and be on his way when he heard a shriek from outside. He immediately ran for the door but as he opened it, he almost keeled over.

The timelines were a tangle here. Right in this moment, time was bending in the most impossible ways, writhing and straining and moving in the strangest directions, tangling in themselves, in the most wibbliest-wobbliest way you could imagine.

And they were all centred on the pink and yellow girl who lay motionless of the floor.

-:-

She was having the funniest dream. At least she thought it was a dream. She was in a strange room which was more like a wide, white space that kept going on. And in the centre of it, sat a woman with wild, dark hair in a blue-green dress. She smiled when Rose caught her eye and beckoned her forward, gesturing towards the chair opposite her.

"Would you like some tea?" the woman asked when Rose neared.

"Who are you?" Rose asked instead.

"I'm Sexy," the woman informed. "That's what my thief calls me."

"Your thief?"

"Yes. He stole me. Will steal me. Is stealing me," Sexy said without a pause. "I stole him too. Would you like some tea?"

"Um," Rose began, taking the seat that was offered to her. "Okay."

A table appeared in the space between her and Sexy, holding two cups, a teapot and a plate of Jammie Dodgers. Yep, definitely a dream.

"Where are we?" Rose asked, as Sexy poured the tea into a saucer instead of a cup.

"At the heart. Our heart," Sexy answered, offering her the saucer placed on top of a cup.

"Okay," Rose said, deciding to go with it. Dreams hardly ever made sense. She'd recently had one where she was a golden wolf and she kept licking these pepper pots that had plungers attached to them and every time she licked one, it burst into gold. Except this one that had a red apron on and had made Rose a soufflé and Rose had decided to let her go. Funny how pepper pots have genders in dreams.

"My thief likes tea," Sexy said. "You like tea too. You've always liked tea. You'll always like tea. Oh, tenses _are_ difficult, aren't they?"

Rose smiled as she took a sip out of her saucer. Suddenly, the white room was washed in a pulsing red light. A clanging sound echoed from the distance, as if repeatedly calling for attention.

"What's that?" Rose asked.

Sexy looked pensive. "The cloister bells," she said distractedly.

Rose's vision started to swim all of a sudden and she almost dropped off on the saucer of tea placed in front of her.

"It's a nightmare," Sexy said with a sudden urgency. "It's always been a nightmare."

Rose head a howling in the distance and everything was once more too bright and too golden. Someone was singing and when she woke up with a gasp, like she hadn't been breathing all this while, the song still rang in her ears:

_"A little girl once wandered off,_

_To the woods of the big, bad wolf._

_In a little hood as red as her blood,_

_And a beating heart so good."_

"Rose!" the Doctor exclaimed when the pink and yellow girl opened her eyes.

It was four in the morning and after much protest at the prospect of leaving her unconscious daughter alone in her room with an alien, Jackie had finally gone to sleep an hour ago. So, when Rose blinked and looked around with confusion and then finding the Doctor peering at her in concern, hurled herself in his arms, the Doctor, while immensely surprised was mostly relieved at the absence of a certain formidable mother.

"My thief!" Rose shouted in glee.

"What?" the Doctor was utterly confused. He tried to pull her back to scan her when she leaned forward all of a sudden and pressed her lips against his.

There was a squeak of surprise from him and for the first few moments his hands flayed about like a chicken before he gingerly rested them on her waist. She tasted like tea and rain with a hint of metal.

He was only beginning to kiss her back when she pulled back and shrieked, "This is wrong!"

It took him a moment to get over his daze and formulate a reply.

"It wasn't that bad," he mumbled.

"It is!" Rose insisted. "I shouldn't be here! I-I should be there!"

She pointed at his TARDIS.

The Doctor blinked dumbly for a couple of seconds. "Well, um, good to know you've made a decision."

He was referring to his offer of time and space travel that he'd made earlier. Well, what else could her words mean?

"Why am I not blue?" Rose asked him, grabbing the Doctor by his shirt and pulling him to her personal space. Not that he minded. "I should be blue!"

"Well, I think you're lovely as you are. All...pink and yellow."

Rose stepped back. "But I want to be blue! I should be blue!"

"Okay," the Doctor said, "we'll get you some dye, if it's that important to you."

"No!" Rose wailed. "I shouldn't be in here," she clapped her hands against her cheeks.

"I should be here," she frantically gestured towards the TARDIS. "I should be blue!"

"I'm not following," the Doctor said after staring at Rose for a moment.

Rose blinked. "You don't recognise me," she said slowly. There was hurt in her voice.

"Of course I do!" the Doctor said. "You're Rose Tyler."

"You really don't recognise me," Rose repeated. "Just because I'm in here, and I'm not blue?"

"What are you talking about?" the Doctor asked, reaching towards his sonic screwdriver.

"I'm Sexy!" Rose—or not Rose said.

Yes, you are, the Doctor faintly mused.

"What?" he said instead.

"I'm the...mmm...the...mmmm," she fumbled. "Oh, what do you call me? We travel. I go vworp, vworp!"

The Doctor sat there, staring at Rose—Sexy in silence for quite a few seconds.

She couldn't be...it wasn't possible. "You're...the TARDIS?" he asked.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space," stated Sexy. "Yes, that's it. It's me. I'm the TARDIS."

"No, you're not," the Doctor said, stepping away. "You're Rose Tyler. I asked you your name and you told me that you're Rose Tyler. You're pink and you're human and you have a mad mother."

"The casing belongs to Rose Tyler, yes. But her mind is asleep and she's having tea."

"If you're really the TARDIS," said the Doctor, "then how did you even get inside Rose's body. It should be impossible!"

"I don't know," Sexy said. "I..."

Suddenly, she keeled over, clutching at her side. The Doctor immediately rushed to her, pulling her up and scanning her frantically with the sonic.

"You're..." he began.

"...dying," she finished.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. And sorry about the very late update as well. I just couldn't seem to be able to write anything for this fic for quite a while. I'm still blocked but reviews might help me. ;)**

**A huge thanks to Meagan Snow, JollyRoger1, Pig-Rabbit-Suk, MargauxUniverse, Valerie E. Mackin, tash, Diving in, and Palomeke for your reviews. And another big tank you to everyone who added this story to their favouries' list and/or are following it.**


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